Baku-APA. Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic urged leading European businessmen on Friday to seek common interests rather than any affiliation among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia to promote economic growth, reported Radio Television Serbia (RTS), APA reports quoting Xinhua.
"We need to look for common interests," said Dacic at a meeting at the Montenegrin seaside resort town of Becici, "I do not believe there is love between the former Yugoslav peoples and nations, because if it had truly existed, we would not have waged war."
"I only believe in common interest. If we are able to find it, we will have a strong region," said Dacic, calling for the creation of a Scandinavian style of consultation among Western Balkan states.
The Serbian prime minister said he was not seeking to recreate an illusion of a "utopia" of the former Yugoslavia, but rather to promote cooperation based on shared objectives.
"Our interest is that all of us be better positioned to increase the level of economic activity, to have an open market for the turnover of capital and people. We still do not completely have this in the region," said Dacic.
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic called for a pragmatic approach to meet the needs of citizens and a departure from the "emotional" politics that have plagued the region.
He said Balkan governments should put a priority on increasing quality of life.
According to Djukanovic, rapid economic growth was as necessary as political stability in the region. However, he conceded that Balkan states were subjected to "discrimination" as a region predisposed to crime and corruption when attracting investors.
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